Flex is a free development framework from Adobe that can compile your work into both Flash movies (which run on any browser), or into AIR desktop applications that can run on any operating system. With Flash being almost universal on browsers it has always been a great way to deploy interactive or rich media applications online; Flex makes it much easier to do this, especially if – like us – you are from a programming rather than a design background (the traditional creators of Flash content). Flex has a lot of built-in components to help make what they call RIAs (Rich Internet Applications), which are basically spruced up web applications delivered via Flash. Here's a great example of a sweet-looking app built with Flex, twittervision 3D which shows live Twitter tweets on a 3D globe. Very nicey.
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Flash Development With Flex
Making Money From Your Game
Itsa Money!
We want to build up this part-time game development gig into a successful business, so we have to think about how to make this profitable from the beginning! Here's how we are going to monetise the games we are working on – if you are a game developer (or thinking of becoming one) this should be very helpful to you too!
CrowdSourcing our Logo
Gambrinous is something we are running in our free time, so we were paying for all business setup costs out of our own pockets. Our budget didn't stretch to traditional design agencies, so we were forced to seek out an alternative route of getting design work done. We eventually decided to try a CrowdSourcing site called crowdSPRING.
The concept is quite simple. You post a project on the site with a brief and a set budget, and based on that information, designers will contribute designs which you can rate and provide feedback on. Ultimately, you pick one clear winner and they are awarded the full budget. It is possible to add second and third place prizes, but we decided against this.
What's The Plan?
Wile E. Coyote, Super Genius
Despite being a Super Genius he never seemed to think his plans quite through. Here's hoping our bomb hits the target even if we sail on over the cliff edge!
1. The Game
We're going to make a turn-based tactics game, focused on multiplayer and with persistant units to allow more long-term growth and strategy.
And So It Begins
2001: A Gambrinous Odyssey
Two programmers with no game development experience, no designer, no pile of funding, no fancy offices, and only what free time we find outside our full time jobs.
We are going to make a game company and talk all about it here. Let's just step through a few of the things you can expect:
